Would you split a bedroom into two very small rooms to ensure children have their own space?

[Wiifitmama]

We are in a 3 bedroom flat with 3 kids (all boys). Eldest teen has smallest bedroom which is fine. Two other boys have a shared room. It's double, though not massive at all.

We recently tried to sell to move to a bigger house without success. We have decided to stay put for a good few years now. We really do like everything else about our place, but wanted the two younger boys to have their own rooms as they got older. (11 year old is already expressing his dissatisfaction with the current situation). I should also mention, there is no possibility to extend our flat at all as we are in a conservation area with very strict rules.

We plan to do a rebuild of kitchen/conservatory now that we are staying and could possibly gain a little space for their bedroom when we do this as it has a shared wall with the kitchen. If we gain this small amount of space, I think it would be possible to split their bedroom into two small rooms (each would be like their elder brothers which fits a high bed with desk and chest of drawers under, a single wardrobe and a book shelf - no extra floor space really except to walk through). We have high ceilings so it works to go upwards with furniture and doesn't feel as cramped.

My gut tells me this is the right thing to do as they could have their own rooms. But I do wonder about resale in the future. Our bedroom is a very good sized master bedroom with ensuite, but it would leave three other very small bedrooms.

So would you do this?

If you put up a stud wall its easy to take down we did in our new house. My neighbour did this was just a 2 bed flat for her teen boys says it was really worth it because it gave them space and it stopped them killing each other

Yes, it would be a partition wall so relatively easy to knock down she Utd future owners wish to reinstate the double room. I have seen quite a lot of estate agent particulars( usually regarding partitions erected in garages to make utility spaces) where they point out the stud wall can be reversed.

*should

Yes it would be a stud wall dividing the room. However, it is a supporting wall dividing the room from the kitchen so would be major structural work to gain the extra space needed to divide the room in the first place. This would obviously not need to be reinstated in the future but it a deciding factor in "is it worth it to do this"

What sort of people would be interested in buying your flat, do you think? If it's a similar sized family, they'd probably feel the same as you. Or even a smaller family who want an office space or similar.

Also, if you're staying where you are for a number of years, it seems to make sense to have the place which works for you and to leave off thinking about re-sale until it's a nearer prospect.

That's my opinion, anyway, especially once the dc get older. If the second is 11 now and you're staying there for a few years, you're looking at room sharing all through teenage years otherwise ...

We just kept the supporting beam we got a joiner in to make sure it was doable look if you are hapoy where you are just do it you dont sound like you want to move then the reselling is years down the line

Because the square footage of our flat is not large, most people who viewed were either older couple's downsizing, or younger couples looking to have their first baby. Only we are crazy enough to live here with 3 kids :)

But I agree, I want to make it livable for us.

Why don't you split your room and move into the other double yourself?

I had to share a room throughout childhood and well into my teen years with my brother.

What we did was use a set of bunkbeds as a divider.. So the bunkbeds went down the middle of the room, and there was a thin wooden screen at one side on the bottom bunk, and another on the opposite side of the top bunk. We just painted the room a neutral colour, decorated the boards on our respective sides. We had a TV at the foot of the bunkbeds so we could watch a film together etc but still had privacy to get changed.

It worked quite well and obviously wasn't permenant, maybe you could think about something similar? Also gives so much more floor space than having two beds and a divider.

We had 2 teens sharing for far to long its not ideal poor kids had no where to escape and it caused friction now they have their own rooms its a lot more peaceful and harmonious (sp) it will be worth it imo

We split a double room into two small singles, and it works for us. We haven't got high ceilings unfortunately, but the girls have enough space for bed, desk, wardrobe and bookcase.

Could you post a floorplan? Or give the dimensions now, and of the possible additional bit from the kitchen?

The other option is to split the larger master bedroom, and you move to the smaller room. Could the ensuite be accessed as a family shower room, or as an ensuite to a different room?

I'd maybe try something a bit simpler first - I like the bunk bed idea, or how about an Ikea Kallax unit down the middle of the room, or just a curtain?

I just googled 'bunk bed room divider'. Genius!

Here is a floor plan. It is bedroom 2: mr1.homeflow.co.uk/files/floorplan/image/3041/4771/x/WIG150324_22.jpg

I love the idea of the bunk bed room divider but i ma not sure if it would work for us or not as we need to have space under for desks. The pictures I saw were genius but not sure.

Why not use platform beds side by side butting at right angles to the window wall, with a board partition separating them, that continues across the room. They would each have a window in their room. Are you expecting to have access via the original door?

rather than do structural wall work in the kitchen why not look into temporarily splitting the master bedroom instead, and you move into bedroom 2?

We can't move into bedroom two as I work from home and use our larger master bedroom as an office space too. There would not be room in bedroom two.

This could work ...

Yes I'd definitely split it. The boys will appreciate the private space however small.

Can you put an extra door from reception to one of the new bedrooms, this would be better than losing so much space to a hallway passage.

You can afford it, it's temporary, it solves a load of problems, otherwise. but 2 new rooms hardly more than 6' wide? Need highsleeper beds I imagine, & creative storage. Could you move the wall between reception & Bedroom2 out a bit, to make reception room smaller but resulting 2x new bedrooms bigger?

If it were a student house, the conservatory would become the only communal room & Reception would be made into a bedroom, with a hallway from existing hall to kitchen.

ONeplan - yes, that is what I envisaged.

The rooms will be small but it is not a problem. They have high sleeper beds which fit a proper desk and office chair underneath as well as a chest of drawers. It would also fit a bookshelf each. Maybe a 50cm single wardrobe. That is exactly what DS1 has in bedroom 3.

One plan - I have just measured. There is not enough space between the windows for the two beds and a dividing wall. There is a little less than 2 metres and the beds are a metre wide each plus the wall.

I think I would have to borrow space from the kitchen.

Go for it. If you can borrow a tiny bit from the kitchen you'll get two rooms that are slightly larger than your oldest son's current one. And the wall can always come down again in the future.

I would split it but put a door into the bedroom from the reception room, so that each bedroom is the same size and you won't need to borrow from the kitchen.

I do think teens need their own rooms. I know they won't die from sharing, but if you have a way of giving all of them their own space then I would do it.

COuld you split your bedroom, and you move into theirs?